


Aqua Heart

by januarywren



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Aquariums, Captivity, Child Loss, Devoted Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Domestic Fluff, Egg Laying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Evil Snoke, F/M, Gentle Kissing, Gift Fic, HEA, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Little Mermaid Elements, Mates, Mating, Mating Bond, Medical Trauma, Nesting, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Octopus!Kylo, Oviposition, POV Kylo Ren, Protective Kylo Ren, Psychological Trauma, Rey Needs A Hug, Reylo - Freeform, Romance, Tenderness, True Love, mermaid rey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:07:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22403857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/januarywren/pseuds/januarywren
Summary: He’d been lost, the first time she took his hand in hers, and entwined her fingers about his. Her fingers were so, so small compared to his and he could have crushed her bones if he’d wished.He’d flinched at the thought and tried to yank his hand back - only she hadn’t let go. “Please,” she’d whispered, her voice a pretty melody. “Stay with me.”He hadn’t entertained letting go, after that.Dark Fantasy AU | Kylo seeks to reassure his expecting mate.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 33
Kudos: 307





	Aqua Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [OptimisticBeth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OptimisticBeth/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Across the Way](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14212248) by [OptimisticBeth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OptimisticBeth/pseuds/OptimisticBeth). 



> I recently read the story, 'Across the Way', by OptimisticBeth and fell in love. Mermaid Rey has lived in captivity for years and becomes fascinated with Snoke's newest acquisition: grouchy, octopus-man Kylo. Everything changes when Kylo realizes the 'breeding' program Rey is forced into... 
> 
> It's a gorgeous, sweet story (despite its dark implications) and I read it three times over! I was inspired to write something for it and wanted to toy with what happened after it ended. Please know that my story contains several spoilers for 'Across the Way' (so go read it first! It's wonderful!). 
> 
> And thank you for reading, you have my love! 💙🐳 
> 
> TW: Child loss, medical experiments, and trauma from captivity

"Rey?"

Kylo's eyes fluttered open, as thick rivets of distress filled the air. 

Gently, Kylo slipped his tentacles around his shivering mate.

Rey had taught him how cherished touching another could be. He’d had dim memories of his mother’s hand stroking his temple when he was young, and another, of his father lifting him far above his head, while he’d screamed in delight.

Yet, what Kylo remembered starkly was his time among humans; when he’d thrashed against his restraints and bared his teeth at their gloved hands. He still heard the sickening crunch of one captor’s neck, when he’d flung him against the tiled wall, and the man’s head had lolled back. Hate had run through Kylo’s veins, hate that his mate had washed away.

He’d been lost, the first time she took his hand in hers, and entwined her fingers about his. Her fingers were so, so small compared to his and he could have crushed her bones if he’d wished. He’d flinched at the thought and tried to yank his hand back - only she hadn’t let go. “ _Please_ ,” she’d whispered, her voice a pretty melody. “ _Stay with me_.”

He hadn’t entertained letting go, after that.

He felt her distress keenly, his tentacles anxious to soothe her. Some played with her hair, loosely braiding it the way she preferred, while another appendage stroked her forearm. She leaned into his touch while whimpering softly. His thickest appendage wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against him.

He felt her breasts against him and cooed softly; knowing how she was still anxious about keeping her chest bare. Their captors had made her feel ashamed, keeping her chest tightly bound before the gawking crowds. She had bruises still beneath her breasts, violet marks that Kylo had stroked with his fingers, and his tongue.

After they’d swam free into the ocean, Kylo had found gorgeous stalks of emerald-colored seaweed. He’d stripped the softest pieces free and wove them together before presenting them to his mate as if they were a courting gift. Rey had shrieked with delight, peppering his face with kisses, before he’d helped her put them on. They were better than any material she’d known before, Rey told him, though he unwrapped them from her at night. He’d purred when he saw they left no bruises behind, determined as he was that she would never be marred again.

Especially now, when he felt the swell of her stomach against him and knew that life fluttered within her womb. It didn’t matter that they weren’t the same kind, as his seed took root inside of her. When she laid an egg, it would have their child inside it, as it always should have been. A part of him dearly wished that he’d been kidnapped earlier if only to give his mate company in her cage.

Only they were free now, and nothing would separate them. His instincts screamed for him to keep his mate and child near, and he delighted in touching them. He often cradled Ani against his chest, while she shrieked in excitement when schools of fish passed them. She adored life and color, the same as her mother; a resemblance that made him want to cry. It was more than he imagined his future, even before he was forced on display, and had roamed the ocean freely. He'd lived in the bottomless depths, where light didn't penetrate and spent his days entirely alone.

His hand rested beneath her chin, tilting her head up to him. “Talk to me,” Kylo murmured, his solemn eyes searching hers. “Please, Rey.”

“I…” Rey hesitated, her gaze flitting away.

He knew she was looking over his shoulder, at the six marks she’d made on the cave’s wall. One mark for every egg that had been taken from her, one mark for every break of her heart. Only her seventh egg - their daughter, Ani - had been allowed to live; a break in Rey’s heart that would never be filled. Kylo brushed his lips across her cheekbones.

“I’m going to lay soon,” Rey whispered, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. Her tail swished anxiously, stirring the water around them. Ani stirred from her sleep, before rolling on her side and drool dripped down her chin. Her small tentacles, as ebony as her father’s grasped the sides of the family nest, keeping her still. “I can f-feel it.”

He cupped her swollen stomach with his hand, tracing slow circles with his thumb. He’d thought that she would be laying soon, knowing how her anxiety had worsened. She'd flittered about their cave, often asking him to roll the boulder across the front before dark came as if she feared something would strike during the daytime. He did as she asked and aspired to make her relax; massaging her aching back and combed through coral reefs for shrimp and other treats he knew his mate liked. Often times Ani helped him too, her nimble tentacles easily grabbing hold of scurrying snails, and colorful starfish. 

“ _Mama, look_!” Ani cried when they returned, often flashing a wide smile. Rey giggled the first time she saw a shrimp’s tail in their daughter’s mouth, though she’d gently scolded her afterward, reminding her to remember her manners. Their daughter had bashfully nodded her head, before doing the same thing after their next hunting trip.

Both times Kylo had busied himself with shelling their catch, eager to shower his mate with dutiful attention. He wanted her to know that she was loved, and make her happy, even when she whimpered from the swell of her stomach, and everything ached. He knew that the breeding season took a toll; from the extra nutrients she required to nesting and watching their egg grow, she had a right to be exhausted.

Over the last week, he'd brought her seagrass, kelp, and other soft plants to make another nest in their bedroom. She needed somewhere to lay that would be more private than their family nest, where their toddler slept nightly, nestled between them. She would be exhausted after delivering, and her instincts would urge her to protect their egg for months afterward.

“I know, little one.”

His heart fluttered at the thought of another child, one with his mate’s golden eyes, and his coloring. Would they have tentacles like him and their daughter, Kylo wondered, or shimmering scales and a tail like Rey’s? It was only fair if they had a merchild or two, seeing as Ani was his miniature. He was delighted at the thought of either; his lips quirking into a smile. They would both guard her egg for months before it hatched, something that Ani was impatient to see. “ _Family_!” she often chirped, nuzzling her cheek against her mother’s waist.

Kylo purred, the sound soothing his mate.

“I’ll be with you, sweetheart,” he promised, knowing what she feared. “Every moment that you want me to.”

She'd always been forced to lay alone, something that had made his heartbreak when she told him. She'd dug her hands into the sand and cried with each delivery, terrified that something would go wrong. There had never been someone there to support her, nor provide aftercare. His kind would have been ashamed at how she had suffered, their mates well protected and cherished when they nested.

He remembered still the look in her eyes as she’d crawled from her faux cave, and watched the diver take her egg away. It was the moment his heart had broken for her, and he'd wanted to bash at his glass cage until it broke, and he could murder the diver, and retrieve her precious egg. 

It was her _egg,_ her _child._

Humans had no right to take it from her.

Now -

Kylo dreamed of giving Rey everything she wanted, including a precious egg for every one that she had lost. They made love often, taking advantage of when Ani was distracted by playing with her pet moray eel, Qui, or when they went hunting together. (Now, Kylo insisted on Rey staying inside their cave, while he went hunting alone).

Their sanctuary was large enough; the cave containing several smaller rooms. One, Rey knew would be perfect for Ani when she was older, given how dark it was (Kylo’s species, he’d explained, preferred to live in the deepest part of the ocean). She stored things in there that she wanted Ani to have, like colorful pieces of coral, and shiny, human things she’d found while scavenging through the sandy fields outside their cave. Kylo wove a basket for Ani to lay in while they explored and had added thick straps so they could carry the basket on their back; their child tucked safely inside. 

Their sanctuary itself was hidden by vast stalks of red seaweed, located far enough down for Kylo to hunt as he liked, while Rey could still swim to the surface on occasion. She knew how he fretted over her straying far, though they lived thousands of miles from shore, where humans rarely ventured. And when humans intruded, they hid when they felt the current roll, knowing a boat was passing on the surface above. “ _Safe_ ,” Rey cooed to her mate, brushing her lips against his. “ _We’re safe, my love_.”

He let her swim to the surface, knowing that she was right.

She craved the sunlight and giggled when she heard the cry of seagulls, a sound she’d last heard as a child. She wished that she could stroke their feathers and feel their bills; often bringing a fish or two with her to the surface. There was one, that she called ‘Finn’ after their rescuer, who let her feed him by hand, while perched on her shoulder. It was something she wanted to show the others, though she knew Ani was the safest staying closer to their home.

So, she relished her trip to the surface alone, though she never stayed for too long. She adored the sunlight, its harsh rays making her freckles spread and gave her a lovely tan. It warmed her too, as she was used to warmer water than Kylo and Ani were, though when they snuggled at night, she was blissfully warm and content. And so was her mate, happiness filling his heart.

“Kylo…”

His eyes fluttered closed, as he felt her hand stroke his cheek.

“Do you promise?” Rey asked, her voice trembling. “That n-nothing -“

She swallowed, and he held her closer still. He knew the fears that weighed on her, his sweet love, his warbling mate. She'd spent her life alone and had a heart made for love. A heart made for a family.

“That nothing will happen to them,” Rey whispered, and he splayed his hand across the outline of her ribs. He wanted to give her everything, and more. “Even if I -“

“ _Rey_ ,” Kylo covered her lips with his, gently sucking on her bottom lip. He would let nothing happen to her, nor their family for as long as he lived. There would never be another like Snoke, who leered at his mate, and abused her body as if it were his own. “You were made for motherhood,” he murmured. “Ani adores you beyond reason, as this child will.”

He traced circles on her skin, his fingers shifting to cover her belly button. “Nothing will happen,” he said, his tone filled with devotion. The relationship between them was one that all life around them seemed to respect, the sharks that often swam near never aggressive, nor the odd octopus or chattering sea turtle. “I’ll protect you with everything that I have, I swear to you.”

She shivered as one of his tentacles stroked her thrashing tail.

“You should have our children around you,” Kylo kissed the tears away that ran down her cheeks. “One daughter clinging to your waist, while others play underfoot and tug at your hair.”

“As if you’d allow it,” Rey replied, smiling faintly. 

“You know that I would,” Kylo teased, both of them knowing how he denied Ani little. It was only when Rey wanted to rest, that Kylo kept their daughter from clambering over her, or clumsily pulling at her three buns. “You should be at the center of our children’s world - gods, Rey, you have so much love to give.”

He cradled her to him, his tentacles stroking her soft skin. “I’m sorry they took them from you,” Kylo’s voice broke as he rested his temple against hers. “They had no right to -“

He felt her shudder at the anger in his voice, and he pressed it down inside him. “It wasn’t your fault,” he said, remembering still when she'd told him how she fought with the divers when they tried to take her eggs away. It was after the second had cracked in the scuffle, and she’d watched in horror when the fluids leaked free, that she’d given up fighting entirely. “It never was Rey.”

It would have been kinder to kill her, instead of letting her bear eggs and taking them away. Kylo knew they were children to her, whether they were fertilized or not, and she should have been allowed to keep them. Her pain was as real as any mother, despite the humans treating her worse than any filthy beast. It was horrific, stoking the hateful flame in his heart for the world outside of his mate, and his daughter.

“I’ll give you a child for every one that you’ve lost,” he said, his voice thick with love. His heartbeat for his mate, and the family they were making. “I’ll give you anything you want, Rey.”

She saw nothing but honesty in his gaze, and tears continued to stream down her cheeks. “I love you,” she said, meaning every word. “I love you so much, Kylo.”

She loved him in ways that she’d never dreamed of, reveling in the sheer pleasure of his company. He was gentle with her in ways that no one had ever been, understanding of her insatiable need for acceptance, and love. He lavished her with it, soothing the nightmares that haunted her, and made her body sing for him. There was nothing that she treasured more than his mark on her neck, one that never healed.

He too bore her mark on his too.

“I love you too, sweetheart,” Kylo murmured, holding her tightly. There was nothing between them; their hearts, their souls exposed to another. It was a love that neither had known before, both of them so, so very _alone_ for most of their lives. They both were determined their children would never be alone, and they showered Ani with love.

Just as they would every child, as Kylo promised when he laid his head on her stomach and kissed her belly button. He often slept with Rey’s fingers entangled in his hair, and his tentacles wrapped around her, and Ani. There was nothing between them but a warm, and sacred love.

“I’ll give you everything, you’ll see.”

And she did when three weeks later she laid not one, but _two_ pristine eggs.

**Author's Note:**

> Chat with me: https://januarywren.wixsite.com/januarywren 🌹 
> 
> https://januarywren.tumblr.com/ 🌹
> 
> and ask for me my discord! 🌹
> 
> Beta'd by Soup and Puuko, thank you! 🦝🖤


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